Katja Wolthers, MD PhD, is a senior clinical virologist (MD PhD), associate professor and Principal Investigator, head of the OrganoVIR Labs at the Department of Medical Microbiology, and founder of the Organoid Center of the Amsterdam UMC. She is an expert in organoids for virus research with a special focus on human picornaviruses. She has coordinated several EU consortia such as the innovative Horizon 2020 training program OrganoVIR: ‘Organoids for Virus research’ and the Next Generation Organ-on-Chip consortium GUTVIBRATIONS. Her lab focuses on ‘human-in-the-lab’ infection models for virus pathogenesis and antiviral research using classic culture techniques and new organoid technology, in order to culture viruses and develop innovative animal-free models for virus research. In DETECTIVE, patient-derived gut organoids containing will be used to test broad-spectrum antivirals against human picornaviruses.